Random Drink Of Choice Was For Historical Royals (12 items)

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  (#1) Marie Antoinette

  • Dec. at 38 (1755-1793)

  Some people begin their day with a cup of coffee. Marie Antoinette, on the other hand, jumpstarted her mornings with a velvety, rich cup of hot chocolate. 

  Hot chocolate was a status symbol in the 18th century - a drink for the elites, not the masses. As queen of France, Marie Antoinette thus freely indulged in her chocolate habit. She even employed a "Chocolate Maker to the Queen," whose entire job was to come up with tasty chocolate concoctions. 
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  (#2) Catherine of Braganza

  • Dec. at 67 (1638-1705)

  As the daughter of the wealthy King of Portugal, Catherine of Braganza came to England as the bride of Charles II. But she brought more than a large dowry; she also brought tastes that many claim heightened tea's profile in England.

  When Catherine arrived in England in 1662, tea was used medicinally. In contrast, she drank it regularly, and likely influenced members of her court to do the same. Catherine and her court thus helped make the consumption of tea a fashionable activity. 

  At the same time, some historians caution against giving too much credit to Catherine for revolutionizing English tea consumption. By the time she arrived in England, they claim, trends were already well under way to raise the profile of tea. 

  Whether or not it's historically accurate to call Catherine of Braganza the Mother of Tea in England, what is true is that she has become synonymous with tea. 
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  (#3) Tutankhamun

  Wine was a status symbol in ancient Egypt, since only the elite drank it. King Tutankhamun not only drank wine, but also apparently employed his own winemaker.

  But did King Tut drink red or white wine? Since Tutankhamun was entombed with wine jars - as was custom - researchers used the vessels to conduct analyses of ancient wine residue. They concluded that Tutankhamun had access to both red and white wine.
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  (#4) Alexander the Great

  • Dec. at 33 (355 BC-322 BC)

  Alexander the Great wasn't just one of the ancient world's most prolific empire-builders; he was also a heavy drinker. Like other Macedonians, he favored wine, and was known to drink it in great amounts.

  His drinking habits could have fatal consequences. Alexander once capped off a night of binge-drinking by burning down the Persian city of Persepolis.
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  (#5) Louis XIV of France

  • Dec. at 77 (1638-1715)

  France's King Louis XIV and his court at Versailles are synonymous with decadence. So it shouldn't be all that surprising that Louis loved pairing Champagne with his food. 

  Louis's love of bubbly actually caused some unexpected consequences. His physicians feared that his consumption of Champagne wasn't healthy, and instead urged him to drink other types of alcohol. Moreover, since true Champagne only comes from a particular region - Champagne in northern France - alcohol-makers in other French regions complained of what they considered royal favoritism.
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  (#6) Henry VIII of England

  • Dec. at 56 (1491-1547)

  One of the most widely consumed beverages in early-modern England was small beer, a nutrient-rich, low-alcohol beer. Small beer was so popular that it was apparently Henry VIII's drink of choice.

  Henry wasn't the only Tudor to indulge in small beer. Katherine Parr, his sixth wife, kept barrels of it on hand. 
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  (#7) Queen Victoria

  • Dec. at 82 (1819-1901)

  Over the course of her many summers at Balmoral Castle in the Highlands of Scotland, Queen Victoria became a huge fan of Scotch whisky.

  But Victoria wouldn't always drink it neat. She liked making new alcoholic concoctions by mixing it with other drinks. Victoria drank whisky mixed with claret, tea, and soda water.
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  (#8) Elizabeth I of England

  • Dec. at 70 (1533-1603)

  In the 16th century, many English men and women brewed beer for home consumption. Though beer was popular, Queen Elizabeth I wasn't very partial to it. She couldn't stomach strong beer. 

  Instead, Elizabeth preferred mead, and her royal household kept its own recipe for it.
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  (#9) Catherine II of Russia

  • Dec. at 67 (1729-1796)

  Catherine the Great of Russia may have ruled over an empire associated with vodka, but that doesn't mean the clear liquor was her favorite drink. German-born Catherine was actually a beer aficionado. She preferred English stouts, and boasted that she could hold her own against English stout-drinkers.

  Catherine's love of the dark beer actually contributed to the development of imperial stout. She contracted Anchor Brewery in London to create a dark, strong stout for the Russian imperial court - and so it brewed "imperial" stout.
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  (#10) Napoleon Bonaparte

  • Dec. at 52 (1769-1821)

  Napoleon's favorite wine was a Burgundy from Chambertin. In fact, he never traveled without Chambertin. Napoleon loved the wine so much he once quipped, "Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin."

  Napoleon didn't just consume Chambertin for the pleasure of it; he also drank it because his physician encouraged him to do so for his health.
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  (#11) Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

  • Dec. at 102 (1900-2002)

  Queen Elizabeth II's mother - Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was queen while her husband reigned as King George VI from 1936 to 1952 - could hold her liquor. Drinking was so much a part of the Queen Mother's daily rituals that she actually traveled with her own alcohol when conducting her royal duties.

  The Queen Mother's drink of choice was a wine-based cocktail: Dubonnet and gin cocktails indulged before lunchtime.

  The Queen Mother reportedly passed her love of Dubonnet-gin cocktails on to her daughter.
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  (#12) Peter the Great

  • Dec. at 53 (1672-1725)

  In 1698, 26-year-old Peter the Great visited England while on a European tour. He not only found inspiration for his vision of a Westernized Russia there, but also discovered his favorite drink. 

  One of his English drinking buddies was the Marquis of Carmarthen. In the words of Peter's biographer Robert K. Massie, Carmarthen "introduced Peter to his favorite drink, a cup of brandy laced with peppers."

  Peter the Great's heavy drinking habits were so pronounced that he started a rowdy drinking club at court.

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